iPad 2 to sport FaceTime, gyroscope, Retina Display, USB? [rumor

A Chinese newspaper is claiming, based on "industry sources", that five new features will be coming with the next generation iPad 2, including video phone, new display technology, 3-axis gyroscope, "better mobility", and USB.

We have previously told you that sources claimed the iPad 2 is rumored to be coming equipped with two cameras for FaceTime and this list seems to repeat that rumor.

The new display technology is said to "enhance image and color output performance" so could this mean iPad 2 will be getting its own version of the Retina Display featured on the iPhone 4.

The 3-axis gyroscope would also make perfect sense to keep it on the same level as the iPhone 4 game wise. This has been a great feature of the iPhone 4 allowing for game players to utilize full motion in playing of games to help make them more realistic and bring gaming to a whole new level.

Better mobility could indicate that Apple will be utilizing a design similar to their unibody MacBook lineup. We told you about this when we posted Apple's supposed plan to create a world iPad utilizing a CDMA/GSM chipset. This would be a great reason to make the iPad 2 even more portable than the iPad is in its current state.

Probably one of the most welcomed new features would be the addition of a micro-USB port vice the standard Apple 30-pin dock connector. Europe is working on making the USB standard a legal requirement so that could be a motivator.

Most of these rumors aren't surprising and seem like the logical improvements Apple makes from one generation product to the next. Hopefully processor (Cortex A9-based?) and RAM (512 or better yet 1GB) are on the agenda as well. Are there any other features you would like to see in the next generation iPad? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

Retina display on the iPad WILL NOT HAPPEN.
2400x1800 on a 9.7" display would be abhorrently expensive to produce, not to mention it's never been done before.
I believe it could be getting a huge processor and ram bump though, it has to compete with the PlayBook...

@SAM "Never been done before" is right up Apples Alley.. Retina Displays in general have never been done before and they brought it to the iPhone and iPod Touches.. It's definitely coming to the iPad... thats what they do.. they tend to do things that have never been done before.. thats the whole point of innovation.

Its not impossible because it wouldnt work. Its impossible because there is no way to buy that kind of display for 95$ (estimated price for current iPad display). Most likely it will cost more than 500$. Thats why its impossible....

I agree with @Gregz0r, the display enhancement just means lamination like the iPhone. Retina will not happen on the iPad for some time, if ever. I know a lot of geeks are obsessed with pixel counts, but it really isn't needed on the iPad. You don't hold it as close to your face as a smartphone. As for the connectors, they might add USB but keep the 30-pin. I do expect a trimmer form factor and more memory, possibly a new processor. The cameras are a given.

The cameras are pretty much a "Duh!", a gyro and increased working memory also fall under the "Why wasn't this in the first version?" heading, USB seems unlikely, but would be nice, but a retina display? How could anyone seriously that was coming soon, if ever? The cost of the display itself, let alone increased cost of driver electronics and frame buffer size, makes the very notion laughably ludicrous. Not to mention the benefit would be marginal at best.
That, and frankly I'd take S-AMOLED at the current rez over the "Retina" any day. Sadly, that also ain't gonna happen.

How about a rotation switch apple along with the half-azz mute switch that the current one has. I also want thumb print reader for security log on, 128g storage, front and rear camera, solar rechargeable battery, USB, retina display, IR so I can operate my entire house with a remote app, $200 lower than the current price...... Ok maybe I'm askin for too much.... Apple just pick 3 or 4 of these. Along with that I want my darn airplay on my iPhone 4 to work from my photo album folder if that's not too much to ask for, oh and I would like that now !!! That's why I bought a darn appleTv. And when you do make this available for the iPhone 4, how about you add that to the 2nd gen iPad so we can be consistent like the new "mute button".

Keep in mind the iPad isn't due for an "A+" upgrade yet. The current version is still selling like hotcakes and a lot of devs are still working on their apps. The iPad hasn't even been out a year yet. Expect some refinement, similar to the early iPhone versions, but not a major overhaul. They won't want the risk of what happened with the iPhone 4, and they aren't feeling competitive pressure yet in tablets. When the Android tablets start catching up, then we'll see a major update.

I've been waiting to get an ipad2 since the original launch of the gimped first one. I don't expect a rear facing camera. Just a front facing to enable FaceTime. I don't think a rear facing camera makes sense at this size. Too big. While I'd love a retina screen, I also understand this might not be cost effective at this size.

The source is too optimistic. I'm betting two cameras for the full facetime experience,optical lamination, double the memory and the gytroscope will be the upgrades for the 2. That would make a very impressive "look what's new" presentation, and save some goodies for next year. I would also expect a modest price bump - maybe $30 across the board - so they don't have to drop thier pants too much to sell through any remaining iPad 1s. And yes - I'll be buying one since I passed on the first one.

Re Retina not needed on an iPad--baloney. It is needed to make it a great ebook reader. That's the only reason that I would consider upgrading, although the matters of expense and processing power for that kind of resolution seem serious.
The next iPad should come with much better apps that actually demonstrate the product's value. Safari on the ipad is mildly laughable, as is Photos. Along those lines, an improvement in page rendering times is going to be necessary to compete. I'm not an apple acolyte and will gladly switch to a superior tablet by another vendor, ideally one that offers astonishing technologies like SD card or USB support. The closed model for file transfer is a significant turnoff.
I enjoy the iPad, but still view it is a niche product for computer geeks. I think it may find enough different niches to work, though--a bunch of users who use it for vastly different purposes.

Hmm..Here's my thoughts.
1.2ghz Processor
1GB Ram
16, 32, 64, 128, GB options (hopefully, but more likely...16,32,64)
Gyro.
No retina display, but perhaps better res.
FaceTime Front and rear Cameras.
Same screen size as current model
Which would put it above the other tablets, and still be an awesome upgrade. Who knows, they might throw a curve ball and drop the price. I doubt it though considering the price of the highest iPod touch being $400. But one can dream.

An iPad 2 with 50% more pixels than the current iPad would be a minimum requirement for me to take another look at one, but I don't think that will be available till iPad 3. A higher res screen of course requires more processing power, just to maintain the same level of performance. Probably won't have very significant upgrades there till generation 3, either. They'll probably just add a camera or two and make it a bit sleeker and a bit lighter. I don't expect anything major.

It won't have the same pixel density as the iphone 4's retina display, that would be way too expensive at the moment. I wonder if they might increase the res somewhat, but I doubt they will until they can do a retina display at a reasonable cost to avoid splitting ios device along too many resolutions...
It will almost certainly have the gyro, the faster processor and the extra memory that the iphone 4 has, possibly even faster processor and/or more ram. If we're really lucky a multi-core processor. It will have a front facing facetime cam and probably a rear facing higher res cam a-la iphone 4. I doubt very much it will have any kind of usb port but I could be wrong!

i really want ipad 2 to have cameras for facetime both front and back. better resolution would be really nice if they are not going to make it retina.they should give more ram and more storage options.

Looks like you were mostly on.
I do not understand why the camera is a good idea. Seems like needless feature to me. Most people have smart phones and computers with cameras for talking online, and I doubt that many really need, or will use their, ipads for that.
Would much rather have something like a memory card slot.